


Day One: Fever

by taylor_tut



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fever, Gen, Sick Character, Sick Lance (Voltron), Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 01:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11818431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: From voltron whump week on tumblr: day one fever.





	Day One: Fever

@voltronwhumpweek2017 better late than never!

It was the middle of a debriefing when it set in. Allura was talking, about their last mission, how Lance had been lucky to only be in Lotor's control for mere hours before the other paladins rescued him, when he started to feel woozy.

"We need to be a lot more careful," she warned. "If we aren't, the results next time could be disastrous."

Pidge glanced at Lance, who looked nervous and sweaty. "You hanging in there?" she asked.

Lance shifted in his seat nervously. "Just tired," he replied.

"You've had a long day," Allura conceded. "We'll wrap up soon."

Though Lance nodded, his face didn't look any more relaxed--in fact, the opposite. His breathing quickened, and he wrung his hands. Pidge turned her attention back to Allura--adrenaline was a hell of a drug, after all, and Lance had certainly had enough of it for one day.

"Our final point of discussion is the paladin bond," Allura continued. "With Shiro gone, our dynamic has changed, and I understand that it will take a bit to adjust to that. I'm suggesting more frequent headband training to strengthen it. How do you all feel about this?"

The paladins nodded, beginning to discuss their agreement about how that would likely be good for the team, but Lance looked terrified.

"I can't," he said, sounding panicked.

"I'm sorry?" Keith asked, trying to verify that he'd heard Lance correctly.

"No, I am." Lance's voice was quivering, bordering dangerously on tears. "I did something bad."

"What are you talking about?" Hunk asked.

"I can't tell you," Lance declared.

"Lance," Allura soothed, "you can tell us anything. I'm sure that whatever you did isn't nearly as bad as you're imagining."

"It's worse," Lance maintained. His breathing was getting even faster with every passing moment, sounding almost labored now, and he was shaking violently in his seat.

"Just tell us what happened," Keith commanded softly. He waited the moment it took Lance to collect himself, but wasn't prepared for what Lance said next.

"I'm working with Lotor," he cried. He buried his face in his hands, breath hitching with sobs, looking so pitiful and ashamed that it was almost unbelievable.

"What?" Hunk squawked. "Are you joking or something?"

Lance shook his head wordlessly, still sobbing so hard that Hunk reached out a hand and laid it on his back to calm him.

"Lance, you're not working for Lotor," Keith explained. "Did he do some kind of mind control thing on him?"

Allura's cheeks glowed as she pressed her hands to either side of his face. "I cannot detect anything," she determined, "but he does feel different."

"Different how? Like, Galra zombie different?" Hunk asked.

"Nothing like that," Allura chastised. "Just... warm."

"Warm?" Pidge asked, feeling her heart sink to the floor. She reached out and pressed a hand to Lance's forehead and frowned. "Oh quiznak. Yeah, he's burning up."

"Fever?" Hunk verified, eyebrows knitting together when Pidge nodded. "How bad?" He pressed his own hand to Lance's forehead and cursed. "Oh," was all he could say. "Pidge, get ice."

Lance shook even harder, still crying and apologizing, while the others fussed over him.

"I let you down, Keith," Lance moaned, "I let you all down, but you the most. You needed me to be strong."

"You were," Keith tried to reassure, "You did really well."

"I didn't mean to let him win," he cried, not hearing anything Keith said. "I just--it hurts, and I thought it'd stop."

"We're working on making it hurt less," Keith promised. "You didn't let anyone down, okay?"

Lance hesitated. "You promise?"

Keith squeezed his hot hand. "Yeah," he smiled as best he could, "I promise." Lance drifted off to sleep.


End file.
